Follies, follies, and more follies

Know it has been a while since my last post so forgive me. Busy with work and school and making sure I will be a productive member of society. I've got one thing I need to cover.

The 4th referee.

Either the world has employed the worst possible 4th referees or I'm not sure what. Time after time I've had people come up to me and ask me, "How does one determine extra time and how long it will be?" Many have asked me that simple question and I always have a simple answer. The 4th referee. The idiot, I mean referee, on the sidelines who manages substitutions and, well at least he's supposed to, keep track of time where play was stopped. The 4th referee is supposed to be the most organized one, for he doesn't have to deal with the players on the field directly.

However, time after time, we have lately seen the 4th referee to be somewhat incompetent. During the World Cup, we saw games with four or five minutes of extra time, yet play hadn't stopped anywhere near that long, as well as games with one minute of extra time, where play stopped every other minute.

Recently, and trying to sound without bias, Arsenal went into the extra time against Sunderland up 1 - 0. The 4th referee gave 4 minutes of extra time. In the 94th minute and 15 seconds, CLEARLY PAST THE ALLOTTED TIME, Darren Bent equalized. Arsene Wenger approached Martin Atkinson, in the picture above, and got in his face. And had every right too. He lets the main referee know when to call the whistle if the main referee hasn't been paying attention to the time. Job failed.

I move that FIFA or the EPL or someone develop something to replace the 4th referee. They've made too many mistakes and have become arbitrary. In addition, I am an avid supporter of goal line technology. That needs to be developed as well. In final words, FIFA, WAKE THE HELL UP. kthanksbye.

Comments

This is a juicy bit of news. Denilson has quit Arsenal. Many Arsenal fans expected him to leave this summer but I'm sure none anticipated him handing in his resignation.The 23 year old hasn't had the best of seasons. When the core of Arsenal's midfield is fit, it isn't common to see Den...

Latest on FanVsFan

It only seems like a month ago that NASCAR made the trip to the Pocono Mountains, taking to the track with three turns and three straightaways, with the one out front being the longest of any track on the circuit. Wait...they were.Of all the tracks that host two Sprint Cup events on the season, Pocono has historically been the one with the shor...